I tried to read this book and got about half way through and lost all interest. I could not identify with the characters at all and kept getting bored.

The Oppenheimers have it all- wealth, a stunning Brooklyn home, and triplets. But every single one of these family members is disconnected and completely selfish. Then the mother decides to have one more child from the remaining frozen embryo- eighteen years later. Hence, the Latecommer arrives just as the triplets are leaving for college. There's art apprecitation, sibling rivalry and disloyalty, and generational trauma- what's not to like?

This is a family saga with not one likeable character. Sometimes I love this and sometimes this troupe grates on my nerves (so I can see why there are so many divisive reviews of this book.) However, the writing of this is so immersive and wonderful, I hardly noticed how much I hated them all and their selfish choices. I have really liked many of Korelitz's books (You Should Have Known aka HBO's The Undoing and The Plot), and this one is not for everyone, but I loved it.

The audio version (I alternated between audio and print) is narrated by queen Julia Whelan so if you like a good family story, you can't go wrong. I will say that I was intimidated by the length, and it did feel every one of its 441 pages; but it was worth it. This book is for fans of Good Company by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, and The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance kindle copy for review. Audio version was purchased separately.

A deeply layered family drama, The Latecomer is the story of the dysfunctional Oppenheim triplets - who despite the hopes of their mother Johanna - end up without much of a relationship at all. When a devastating family secret is revealed, Johanna takes drastic action which may be what saves them all.

Sweeping family dramas are my jam, so while I was hopeful for The Latecomer - I was also concerned its length could turn into a bit of a slog. I'm thankful to be wrong, each page gave Korelitz the time and care to fully develop each character and by the time I hit the last page - it felt like saying goodbye to family.

I think the social commentary, especially the depiction of siblings with different viewpoints could be especially cathartic for those of us with families who don't always get along - ESPECIALLY now. I cringed listening to Harrison speak to Lewyn and Sally but could imagine similar conversations happening across the country each day. The only thing that really turned me off was the Ephrem/Eli saga - I understand why it was done - but it didn't sit well with me.

I did hope for a bit more for Johanna in the end and while seeing her get help and let go was big - the amount of time it took her to "heal" seemed unrealistic.

Overall, an attention-keeping novel, The Latecomer is perfect for those who may know the pain of wanting, loving and caring for family that may feel like strangers to you.

I absolutely cannot get enough of Korelitz, she's been a heavy hitter in my collection for quite some time now. Top tier purchase for most libraries.

I am a fan of this authors writing. This was not my favorite book of hers but it was so well written that I enjoyed the story for awhile. I eventually got tired of the unlikable characters. The premise is so so good and unique.

This is such a deep and detailed book! The dysfunctional family story is gripping and intriguing the entire way through despite it dragging in some portions. The dramatic tension and intense moments really kept my eyes glued to the page and I wanted this book to keep going on forever.

The Latecomer is a book about a family who while not awful people individually, are somewhat awful to each other. It's a story of obligation and regret and secrets and half truths. It's a story of desperately trying to hold your family together while they all drift away. The writing is wonderful and the characters, while not always likeable, somehow make me want to root for them.

This books is perfect for fans of Succession and the drama of the Kennedy family. The progression through time and the focus on each character in turn paints a well rounded and realistic picture of each person's desires and struggles. And, while none of those struggles are monetary or urgent, they are struggles nonetheless and highlight the quest for happiness that so often eludes families the world may see as blessed. I found the characters relatable and insufferable in equal measure and loved following their ups and downs.

The book started off slow for me and I’ll be honest I was close to DNF-ing the book, but I’m glad I stuck with it, but I did start to enjoy it.

It follows the Oppenheimer family and the triplets, Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally, as they grow up not being very close to one another.

Once in college they find out their mom decided to use the last frozen embryo to have one more child, especially now that she is an empty nester with a husband that doesn’t seem to be around much. Sally is the one that finds out his dad’s secret.

Eventually as they get older the story is in the POV of their young sister Phoebe.

Read this if:
🖼 You like stories about family drama
🖼 You like reading about dysfunctional families
🖼 You like long books (this one is 448 pages)

The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz was an utterly compelling story that commanded my attention as I was a fly on the wall into this disturbingly dysfunctional family.

The beginning of the book is filled with detail about Salo, the patriarch, and why he is so removed from his family. At times, I thought the book was being overwritten because of the incredible amount of detail that I learned about the cast of characters. However, as the book progressed, I realized how important those details were in understanding the character’s actions and ultimately their behaviors.

Joanna, the matriarch, has set out to create the image of a perfect family although they were far from it. Their triplets, born by IVF, were nothing short of strangers to one another with no commonalities or interests, yet Joanna pretended to herself and others an opposite scenario. At times it was heartbreaking to see the fragility of their relationships. The individual paths of the children were chronicled and each of their paths kept me interested. They were incredibly unique which speaks to the author’s imagination and creativity.

There were many themes threaded throughout the novel such as loneliness, privilege, mental illness, sexuality, education, guilt and pretense. It isn’t until Joanna chooses to carry a 17-year- old embryo to term, that the latecomer as the title refers, enters the picture. her arrival affects the family in multiple ways, which have life-altering effects on her family members.

This is a perfect book club selection as there is so much to discuss. Many of you will know this author from her most recent book, The Plot, which was also a frequent book club pick. Don’t be surprised that this book reads quite differently as it’s a quiet, literary read.

I really tried to connect with this book but I found the plot to be extremely boring and could not connect with any of the characters. I hope someone else is able to live it more than I have. It’s not my usual genre but I tried

I had heard such high praise for this author, so despite not having read The Plot, I decided to go ahead with this one. I was very disappointed. I also wonder if it is personal and I was just not in the right head space for this book. It is very involved, multilayered and complicated. The first part of the story, in the view of the triplets was exhausting. They are very unlikable characters and I did not want to listen to them any more. This book is dense, and too wordy. It is well written, and I do want to give this author another chance.

I wasn’t able to finish this book because the writing just isn’t for me. I have read a lot of the non spoiler reviews and feel it probably is a good book, but with how descriptive the writing is it was like walking through waist deep water. Just not for me!

The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz is a slow-paced read with lots of attention to detail. The descriptions of art and various locations are really brought to life because of all the detail written. If you’re a fan of contemporary family dramas, this is definitely a must read!

finished The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz about two weeks ago and I enjoyed my time within the novel! For those who have read The Plot, I’ve heard it is nothing like that. This is definitely a generational drama more than anything. We spend a lot of time with the three Oppenheimer triplets and “the Latecomer” fourth sibling doesn’t really coming in until almost 3/4s of the way through. I liked my time reading about Sally and Lewyn and very much disliked Harrison. My feelings about everyone fluctuated throughout, but never wavered for him. They are all affected by their father caring about art more than he cares about them, and later on, an affair that lasts most of his marriage. Their mother is the opposite, her whole life revolves around them and it almost feels suffocating.

This is almost entirely a character driven novel. The plot in this one takes quite a bit to get to the meat of, but I still enjoyed it. I like delving into the psyche of characters, plus immersing myself in their lives, and that’s mostly what this is about. The author also digs deep into intelligence and education, racism and privilege, the path to identifying oneself, and more.

The writing was intoxicating and kept me interested throughout. I didn’t get some of the choices that weee made at times, so that knocked it down a bit, along with it being a touch too long. Thank you to @celadonbooks for the review copy!

This book was not for me; however I appreciate the representation in the book and how the characters meshed with one another. Unfortunately this book was too much of slow burn for me and did not work out.

This was a very interesting and complex book. It was very character heavy and I was not always sure who was doing what.

DNF @ 8%

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC, but I just can’t do it.

8% equates to two chapters, both of which felt like I was reading a textbook. I even tried the audiobook because hello, Julia Whelan can usually save anything, but it just wasn’t working for me.

After everyone raved about The Plot, I was so excited to try this one out. Sadly, the first two chapters felt like an info dump on characters that seem quite dull. Maybe it’s just the mood I’m in with being very stressed, but it’s already been hard for me to want to get to 8%, so I’ll put myself first here and DNF.

While I'm DNFing, I can see what kind of audience it would work for so I'll still recommend to that audience.

I’ve also seen this compared to The Goldfinch and I’d like a formal apology on that

Initially, I didn’t t like this novel. However, I returned to it and started to appreciate the writing, storytelling and craftsmanship.

This book was a bit of a miss for me. I had a hard time getting into the plot. It seemed slow and cumbersome.

I did find the overall idea of the plot very interesting. It seemed dark and intense.

I ended up not being able to finish this one fully, but I would like to try it again at another time.

Read my full review here: http://mimi-cyberlibrarian.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-latecomer.html

What a fascinating book! I read The Plot about a year ago and watched the HBO series The Undoing, which is based on Korelitz’s novel, You Should Have Known. This is an author with great skill and talent. Among her many gifts is character development, which is on full display in her newest novel, The Latecomer.

I really like the summary provided in the Kirkus review, which begins “A fatal car crash sets the stage for a fraught marriage and family life.” In its essence, The Latecomer is the story of the relationship between triplets, who began their life as IVF embryos. It follows their lives as well as the lives of their mother Johanna and their father, Sal Oppenheimer, until the triplets are young adults. The third section of the book tells the story of their sister, Phoebe (the fourth IVF embryo) and how the conflict between the triplets becomes resolved. It’s a complicated story, and Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally play huge roles, both with each other and through the eyes of their much younger sister, Phoebe.

There is a lot of family drama, but there is also some illuminating knowledge. For instance I knew nothing about Outsider Art, of which Salo Oppenheimer became an expert collector. Outsider Art is art made by self-taught or naïve artists who had little or no connections with the conventional art world. The work of several outsider artists are mentioned as being part of Salo’s collection. I had to look it all up. Fascinating information.

The triplets are completely alienated from each other. It isn’t until Phoebe enters their lives when they are young adults that they begin to try to understand and relate to each other. I felt that Korelitz did an outstanding job of creating these characters and the dilemmas of their birth and upbringing. She described so well why they had so little relationship with each other, and why their family was so disheveled. However, she also tied it all together well, without any “goodie two-shoes” ending. As the Kirkus reviewer says, “The resolution, complete with a wedding, persuasively and touchingly affirms that even the most damaged people can grow and change.”

I thought the portrayal of each of the Oppenheimer triplets and the chapters dedicated to each of them was spot on and enlightening. The New York Times reviewer speaks of the old-fashioned plot points such as a tragic accident and an extramarital affair, but also contemporary like the test-tube creation of the triplets, and the birth of their frozen-embryo sister. The reviewer says, that “it’s testament to Korelitz’s achievement that her novel leaves us wanting more…The Latecomer is consistently surprising…It is a Gilded Age novel for the 21st century.”

All in all, I loved The Latecomer. I think you will too. I just read that it will be a television series, just as You Should Have Known became The Undoing. The Plot is also being developed as a Hulu series.